Very Rare and Deadly Bright Orange Snakes Found in Car Park

A pair of bright orange, highly venomous eastern brown snakes have been caught in a car park in Queensland, Australia.

Pictures of the unusually colored snakes were shared by snake catcher Jake Stinson, who runs Jake's Reptile Relocations. The snakes normally come in a range of colors, from bronze to brown, red and black, and the orange variety is particularly unusual. "Finding examples like this will always take my breath away," Stinson told Newsweek. "Meeting one-of-a-kind snakes that many live their life without seeing adds such a special connection to my job with the local animals.

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Eastern brown snakes grow to about 5 feet in length. "Over time, naturally the brown snakes that don't get seen are the ones that live on and survive," Stinson said. "So seeing snakes that stand out is pretty rare. The orange specimen is a perfect example to show that the brown snakes do come in many different colors and to not try and identify a snake based off of color."

The species is found throughout eastern Australia and is responsible for more fatalities than any other snake in the country. It has the second deadliest venom of any elapid snake in the world, according to Stinson. The elapids are a group of venomous snakes characterized by a pair of fixed fangs at the front of their jaw and neurotoxic venom. The group also includes cobras and mambas.

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"The Eastern brown snakes are one of the most versatile and highly adaptive snakes out there and are one of the most frequently encountered," he said. "However, finding one that is a unique color is a rare and lucky experience."

As with most elapids, the venom of the eastern brown is a neurotoxin, which progressively paralyzes the nerves of the victim's heart, lungs and diaphragm, causing the person to suffocate. It contains a cocktail of other toxins too, including powerful procoagulants and cardiotoxins, which can lead to convulsions, cardiac arrest, kidney damage and uncontrollable bleeding.

In the wild, they eat a range of small animals, including frogs, birds, rats and mice. In captivity, they may even eat each other, especially in cramped conditions.

"If people come into contact with snakes that are potentially dangerous, it is important to remember that the snake wants nothing to do with you and its goal is to not be seen by you," Stinson said. "They typically do not want to hang around at all, and encounters are usually just when they are passing through."